Survey of Local Growth Issues (RCED-00-272,
September 2000)

Faced with a projected 50-percent increase
in the U.S. population in the next 50 years, communities across the nation
must address the challenges of planning for and managing growth. State
and local governments are balancing the need for sustainable economic growth
with the need to maintain a quality of life, deliver key services, and
confront fiscal constraints.

GAO surveyed 1,926 cities and counties
across the United States on a wide range of growth-related issues and concerns
and received an 81-percent response rate. GAO surveyed all cities with
populations over 25,000 and all counties in metropolitan areas. GAO's survey
revealed a variety of communities' views about their pace of growth; the
challenges they face while planning for and managing growth; their planning
strategies and priorities; the tools and techniques they use to plan for
and manage growth; the influence of federal funding and policies; and options
for changes in federal programs. We reported the results from the survey
in our report entitled Community Development: Local Growth Issues--Federal
Opportunities and Challenges (GAO/RCED-00-178).

Below is the list of topics covered by
our survey. If you would like to see more detailed information on the views
of cities and counties, click on the table next to the topic.

Information is available for each state
(including its response rate); for rural and nonrural counties; and for
central and noncentral cities. Rural counties are those counties in metropolitan
areas that described their communities as rural in our survey. Central
cities are cities within metropolitan areas that meet the Office of Management and Budget's
definition of a central city. To view information about any of the topics
listed below, click on the topic.